Bengal-Nagpur Railway
| Bengal-Nagpur Railway | ||
|---|---|---|
 Bengal-Nagpur Railway device | ||
| Line of route | ||
| Calcutta to Nagpur (Bombay) Calcutta to Waltair (Madras) Bilaspur to Katni | ||
| Gauge / mileage | ||
| Broad gauge | 1696 miles (1905) | |
| Timeline | ||
| 1887 | Company formed | |
| 1888 | Existing metre gauge converted to broad | |
| 1944 | Line acquired by state | |
| Key locations | ||
| Presidency | Bengal | |
| Stations | ||
| System agency | ||
| Worked by Bengal-Nagpur Railway | ||
| How to interpret this infobox | ||
| Bengal-Nagpur Railway | ||
|---|---|---|
 Bengal-Nagpur Railway device | ||
| System timeline | ||
| 1944 | Management of line taken over by state | |
| Constituent companies / lines | ||
| Bengal-Nagpur Railway | ||
| Jubbulpore-Gondia Railway | ||
| Mayurbhanj Railway | ||
| Parlakimedi Light Railway | ||
| Raipur-Dhamtari Railway | ||
| Key locations | ||
| Headquarters | Calcutta | |
| Workshops | Kharagpur | |
| Major Stations | Asansol, Balasore, Bilaspur, Chanda, Chhindwara, Cuttack, Jubbulpore, Mandla, Nagpur, Raipur, Sambalpur, Vizagapattam | |
| Successor system / organisation | ||
| 1952 | Eastern Railway (IR zone) | |
| 1955 | South Eastern Railway (IR zone) | |
| System mileage | ||
| Broad gauge | 1696 miles (1905) 2498 miles (1943) | |
| Narrow (2' 6") gauge | 343 miles (1905) 798 miles (1943) | |
| Associated auxiliary force | ||
| Bengal Nagpur Railway Battalion | ||
| How to interpret this infobox | ||
The Bengal-Nagpur Railway (BNR) was formed in 1887 to take over the metre gauge Nagpur-Chhattisgarh Railway, to convert the existing metre gauge track to broad gauge and to extend the system eastwards to join the East Indian Railway at Asansol, 132 miles from Calcutta.
History
The BNR was the last major railway formed to benefit from a Government guarantee, with the system from the outset owned by the Government of India GoI who contracted the BNR company to manage matters, initially for 25 years and therafter determinable every 10 years. The BNR was the last company to be nationalised, on 1 October 1944. In 1952, the BNR was merged with the East Indian Railway to form Indian Railways' Eastern Railway but in 1955, BNR re-emerged to form South Eastern Railway.
Branch Lines and extensions
- Anuppur-Manendragarb-Chimiri Railway. Opened 1939 by BNR; built primarily to convey coal from the Kotma area
- Cuttack-Midnapore-Calcutta Railway Survey. Surveyed 1899 and absorbed into BNR network, extended by BNR 1901
- Nagbhir-Nagpur Branch Railway. Opened 1908, branch line of BNR(qv) Southern Grid. Construction commenced 1905
- Raipur-Dhamtari Railway and Rajim Branch Railway. The first narrow gauge branch of BNR(qv), opened 1900 and extended to Rajim 1906
- Purulia Ranchi Light Railway. Opened 1907 Narrow gauge section of BNR
- Satpura Railway. Developed by the BNR 1902-9; connected Jubbupore with Gondia, Mandla Fort, Chhindwara and Nagpur; later extended. Comprising -
- Gondia-Chanda Railway. Extension of the BNR narrow gauge Satpura Railway network, opened 1908-16
- Gondia-Nainpur-Chhindwara-Jabalpur Railway. Opened 1903-05 as part of Satpura Narrow Gauge Lines
- Jubbulpore-Gondia Railway. Opened 1902, owned by GoI; worked by BNR(qv); merged into Satpura Rly(qv), c.1920
- Nainpur-Mandla Fort Railway. Opened 1909; worked by BNR as part of Satpura Narrow Gauge Lines
Railways absorbed into BNR
- East Coast State Railway. GoI survey 1890; GoI owned; opened 1893-98; N.sections worked and absorbed by BNR;
- Katni-Umaria Provincial State Railway. Opened 1886-87. Previously named Bilaspur-Etawa Provincial State Railway renamed Katni-Umaria Provincial State Railway, c1887; then merged into BNR.
- Nagpur Chhattisgarh Railway. Opened 1880; previously Chhattisgarh State Railway owned by Provincial Government; worked as part of the Indian State Railways; merged into BNR, 1887.
- Nagpur-Chhindwara Railway. Opened 1911, owned by GoI and worked by BNR merged into Satpura Railway, c.1920.
- Umaria Coalfield Railway. Opened 1883 , connected to main line, 1891 as part of Katni-Umaria Provincial State Railway, c1887; then merged into BNR.
Lines worked by BNR at some time
Records
There are no Staff agreements held at the British Library in the India Office Records.
A series of articles on the BNR, then celebrating its (highly significant) 25th year, was published during 1911 in The Indian Railway Gazette. The December 1911 issue carried biographical entries on the top 12 staff complete with individual photographic portraits. Microfilm of the Gazette can be consulted at the British Library's Newsroom.
There are some reports, letters and notes on the railway's history covering 1890-1930 held at Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies, including copies of the Bengal-Nagpur Railway Magazine for July 1929, August 1929, November 1930 and December 1930.
The South Eastern Railway, a zone of Indian Railways, carries much historical material on its website (see below for link).
External Links
- "Major Events in Formation of S.E. Railway" A timeline from 1887 to 2001 of the South Eastern Railway (formerly BNR).
- Evolution of SER over the years A history of the South Eastern Railway, including the BNR and its constituents. This archived link from South Eastern Railway is most likely chapters (or content) from the book South Eastern Railway: March to New Millennium 1878-2001 by R. R. Bhandari 2001. Unfortunately, not all the chapters are accessible.
- Kharagpur’s Diaspora Reunited Memories and photos of a BNR family, the Cramptons, from the 1930s to 1950s.
- A map on which the Bengal-Nagpur Railway is shown may be found in Correspondence Part 7 (scroll down a considerable way)
- Indian Railways line history: South Eastern Railway html version, pdf from Indian Railway Notes
- The Railway Beginnings "Retroblog of Najm Tyabji (1930+)" He was an Indian engineer born 1912, who studied in London where he met his Scottish future wife, Mona Knight. He joined the Bengal Nagpur Railway in 1937 and was appointed Assistant Engineer at Nainpur.